Partly due to a long-standing Rights of Way anomaly, there is no safe, all-weather route for non-motorists between Cossington and Sileby to the north and Syston to the south. The present bridge over the River Wreake at its confluence with the Soar is narrow, steeply-stepped and unusable to many. Syston and Thurmaston residents protest at the lack of adequate walking and cycling links to the popular Watermead Park that is otherwise on their doorstep. In the park itself, several more bridges fail to serve people with mobility difficulties. Connect2 will resolve all these issues at a stroke, creating car-free commuting choices, not just between the villages named but also to and from the well-established Leicester city cycling network with which Watermead is already well-connected.
Comments from the pledges:
"I like to walk alongside water, and visit the area. I am disabled, and find the concrete bridge steps very difficult. I can manage it with care, but it is an effort."
“This is a much needed footpath and cycle link for people further afield than the immediate area. It would open up possibilities for those like me who enjoy leisurely walking.”
"A great project in a beautiful area of the country - will benefit cyclists, walkers, and canal boaters alike."
Latest news in brief:
17.07.2009
The bridge was officially opened on 9th July. Children from Eastfield school in Thurmaston helped Councillors Ernie White and Lesley Pendleton cut the ribbon, and afterwards were treated to a guided walk on some of the new paths by Park Ranger Dale.


"This is a great honour; I love the thought of becoming part of the landscape alongside Dick Wagstaff and the great Richard Burton. I'm hoping that my sculpture might be able to persuade Burton's sculpture to quote some poetry of an evening, or at least a bit of War of the Worlds." Rob Brydon
"Making it easy for millions of people to change their world by walking and cycling to the local places they want to go"